Department for Transport

Roads: Accidents

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timescale is for publishing his Department's review of the effectiveness of red lights for roadside recovery operators; and if he will make a statement.

Rachel Maclean: The Government confirmed its intention to review available evidence on whether a more flexible approach might be appropriate to allowing the use of red flashing lamps by road recovery operators. The Government is committed to improving road safety, and the Department is currently tendering this independent review through a competitive process. It is expected that the contract will be awarded in approximately three months and, subject to the tenders received, the results could be available four months later. The report will be published following completion.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Service Industries and Utilities: Coronavirus

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the hospitality industry.

Paul Scully: The Government recognises the huge impact that the COVID-19 outbreak is having on the hospitality sector and is engaging regularly with representatives from across the industry to assess the effects on hospitality businesses.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many successful applications have been made to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

Paul Scully: The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme opened for applications on 23 March. As of 21 April, over £2.8bn worth of loans have been issued to over 16,000 businesses.

Companies House: Coronavirus

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support Companies House is giving to businesses to assist with responding to the covid-19 outbreak.

Paul Scully: On 25 March Companies House announced that all businesses could apply for a three-month extension for filing their accounts, with those citing issues around COVID-19 immediately granted an extension. To support this measure Companies House developed a fast-tracked, online system that takes businesses just 15 minutes to complete. There have so far been over 50,000 successful applications. This was supplemented on 28 March when the Government announced it will offer further extensions should circumstances require. On 16 April Companies House announced that companies issued with a late filing penalty due to COVID-19 will have appeals treated sympathetically and that it has temporarily paused the strike off process to prevent companies being dissolved. This will help ensure businesses struggling to update their records because of the crisis, are not struck off the register.

Employment Agencies: Coronavirus

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment has made of the effect of the covid-19 lockdown on the recruitment sector.

Paul Scully: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not made a formal assessment of the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on the recruitment sector specifically. The Government is working to minimise any social and economic disruption as a result of Covid-19. We hold regular meetings with representatives of businesses and workers in the recruitment sector at all levels to understand the challenges they are facing and to help develop the Government’s response.

Maternity Leave: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of offering a three month paid extension to maternity leave in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Paul Scully: Maternity Leave and Pay are provided to enable employed women to take time off work in the later stages of their pregnancy and after they have given birth. The UK’s Maternity Leave offer is already amongst the most generous in the World – up to 52 weeks of leave are available, 39 weeks of which are paid – and we currently have no plans to extend it.

Business: Coronavirus

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the covid-19 pandemic, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking additional steps to support businesses that employ vulnerable people.

Paul Scully: The Government has introduced important social distancing measures for all types of businesses to consider in order to minimise the risk of transmission in the workplace. The Government has been clear that it is vital that all employers follow this guidance, which is clinically led and based on expert advice. The Government has stated that vulnerable people who are at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) need to be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures. Additionally, the government guidance sets out that members of staff who are vulnerable or extremely vulnerable, as well as individuals whom they live with, should be supported by their employers as they follow the required social distancing and shielding measures.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

British Overseas Territories: Coronavirus

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the British Overseas Territories during the covid-19 outbreak.

Wendy Morton: The UK Government is firmly committed to supporting the Overseas Territories in dealing with Covid-19. Baroness Sugg (Minister for the Overseas Territories) is in regular contact with the political leaders and Governors of the Territories, to understand the situation on the ground and identify how the UK Government can best support them. The impact of the pandemic on the Territories varies, and our support is being calibrated accordingly. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development are leading a cross-Whitehall effort, working closely with the Overseas Territories governments to provide support across the key areas we have identified, of healthcare, economy, security and access.

Taiwan: Coronavirus

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Taiwanese authorities on lessons learned from their handling of the covid-19 pandemic.

Nigel Adams: Through our office in Taipei, the British Government has been in regular contact with the Taiwanese health authorities around all aspects of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. We will continue to learn from and share good practice with Taiwan, as we aim to do with all those who have been affected by this pandemic. In line with our longstanding policy, we believe Taiwan has a meaningful role to play in combatting global threats like COVID-19.

British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many British nationals have been repatriated in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Nigel Adams: Holding answer received on 29 April 2020



As of 29 April, we have brought back more than 20,000 people on 99 flights organised by the Foreign Office from 21 different countries and territories and have helped more than 19000 British passengers return home from 60 cruise ships.

British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the ticket cost of £600 per person for nationals returning from Bangladesh was determined; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the ticket cost of £581 per person for UK nationals returning from India was determined; and if he will make a statement.

Nigel Adams: Holding answer received on 29 April 2020



Flight prices are based on the actual cost of each charter, which varies. To set a limit on the costs to travellers, we have capped prices: for flights under 6 hours at £400; 6-10 hours at £600; and 10 hours + at £800 (using the airline industry's 'time in air' calculator).Costs above this amount are borne by the Government. We are determined that the cost of a flight will not be a barrier to bringing British travellers home. Often the cost will be covered by travel insurance; financial support is available where necessary.

British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an estimate of the costs incurred by UK citizens trapped in (a) India, (b) Pakistan and (c) Bangladesh after each country's recent ban on international flights.

Nigel Adams: Holding answer received on 29 April 2020



We do not have an estimate of the costs incurred by British nationals overseas.However, we recognise that this crisis will have had a significant financial impact on people who have found themselves overseas for a longer period than planned or faced cancellations. Our consular staff continue to provide advice and support to British nationals who face financial difficulties overseas.We are working to ensure airlines recognise their responsibility for transporting their passengers with pre-booked tickets home. This includes offering alternatives where routes are cancelled and encouraging airlines to allow passengers to change tickets - including between airlines.We have worked with other Whitehall departments to help ensure that British travellers who normally live in the UK are eligible for furlough, business grants, and mortgage holidays on the same basis as they would be if they had been at home in the UK.If people are struggling to afford ticket prices, emergency loans will be available as a last resort. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has streamlined the process for emergency loans, and is working with a commercial travel agency to ensure loan recipients have travel arrangements in place to return home.

South Ossetia

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his Russian counterpart on that country's policy of borderization of the Kareli Municipality in Georgia.

Wendy Morton: The UK has raised concerns about the recent reports of Russian forces and the de-facto authorities in the breakaway region of South Ossetia working to create "borders" within the Kareli Municipality in Georgia. Through our Embassy in Tbilisi and in statements at the Council of Europe and the OSCE we have been clear that such actions must stop.The UK is unwavering in our support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Coronavirus

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to carry out mass covid-19 testing of NHS staff.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 21 April 2020



Testing is a crucial part of the United Kingdom's response to the coronavirus pandemic and the Government is working on multiple fronts to deliver additional testing capacity into the system. On 4 April 2020, the Government published its testing strategy 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) Scaling up our testing programmes'. The strategy sets out five pillars and the second pillar focuses on the mass swab testing for critical key workers in the National Health Service.The document is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-scaling-up-testing-programmes/coronavirus-covid-19-scaling-up-our-testing-programmes

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish guidance on how social distancing measures implemented by the Government in response to the covid-19 outbreak can help (a) slow the spread of covid-19 and (b) reduce pressure on the NHS.

Helen Whately: Following expert advice, the Government has issued social distancing measures. These measures will limit the spread of COVID-19 by helping to stop non-essential contact and lessen the demand on the National Health Service. Businesses have been asked to close except for supermarkets or retailers that supply fuel, medicines and other vital goods.Under the restrictions, people must stay at home and only leave for the following reasons; to exercise once a day - either alone, or with members of their household; shopping for basic necessities, although this should be done as little as possible; medical need or to provide care for a vulnerable person; travel to or from work but only where this is absolutely necessary.Several guidance documents have been published, which can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Palliative Care: Coronavirus

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of syringe drivers required to ensure the maintenance of palliative care regimes during the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: The Department is aware of recent shortages of syringe drivers and has taken direct action to source additional equipment to alleviate the situation. New supply is now arriving in the United Kingdom from abroad with several thousand units now being checked and distributed in to the National Health Service. Further quantities are becoming available through the usual suppliers to the NHS to further increase the availability of these devices which will be distributed through a national allocation process.

Coronavirus: Motor Neurone Disease

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will include people with motor neurone disease on the list of vulnerable people during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: Individuals who have been identified as clinically extremely vulnerable have been advised to shield to protect themselves. Six categories of clinical conditions were used to identify individuals who are extremely vulnerable due to complex health problems. It was determined that people with motor neurone disease (MND) would not be included in this list, as there are many stages to the disease, with varying levels of severity. This is under constant clinical review.General practitioners (GPs) and hospital clinicians have the discretion to add individual patients to the list based on case-by-case clinical assessments of each individual’s needs. GPs and hospital specialists have completed initial reviews of their patient lists, and are continuing to identify patients as their clinical conditions change. Anyone with MND who is concerned that that the severity of their symptoms means they may be clinically extremely vulnerable, should contact their GP to discuss.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in care homes who are likely to have contracted covid-19 and died of additional causes, since lockdown restrictions were introduced.

Helen Whately: Public Health England (PHE) does not hold data on the total number of people who contracted COVID-19 in care homes. PHE collects data on the number of care homes that have reported an outbreak of suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Since the beginning of March 2020 up to and including the 22 April, the number of care homes that have reported outbreaks of COVID-19 is 4,132. The Office for National Statistics publishes provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales, including deaths involving COVID-19 in care homes. The latest data, up to week ending 10 April, can be viewed at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/weekending10april2020

Coronavirus: Surveys

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to collect sex-disaggregated data as part of the NHS coronavirus status checker.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The National Health Service COVID-19 status checker collects only the minimum amount of data necessary to predict the likely demand on NHS services. NHSX plan to iterate the survey and may add gender to this collection, if it would help predict demand more effectively.

Coronavirus: Screening

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide details of the evidential threshold that his Department requires antibody tests to meet in order to detect people that have had covid-19.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is working with partners to support the delivery of the Government’s agenda on COVID-19 testing. This includes rapid antibody tests for use by healthcare professionals and by people at home. The MHRA has prepared specifications to assist manufacturers to design and deliver tests. These are initial specifications based on current best information but, as the science is rapidly evolving, are subject to review and may need to be updated at short.

Cancer: Clinical Trials

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cancer-related clinical trials have been (a) cancelled and (b) suspended as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: During the COVID-19 outbreak, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) guidance requires trial sponsors to notify the MHRA of a temporary halt to a clinical trial when it involves a direct participant safety issue or a medicines supply issue. Trials which end prematurely are required to be notified to the regulator within 15 days of the decision to end the study.From 1 March 2020 to 22 April 2020 the MHRA has been notified of 10 temporary halts to cancer-related trials of investigational medicinal products which specifically state COVID-19 as the reason for halting. No cancer-related trials of investigational medicinal products were prematurely ended as a result of COVID-19 during this time. It should be noted that end of trial notifications are only required to be submitted to the regulator if the trial has ended in all the territories it was running in.

Speech and Language Therapy: Voluntary Work

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy that retired therapists who return to work as volunteers for the NHS during the covid-19 pandemic are able to re-register with their former professional bodies to obtain insurance equivalent to that being provided for retired doctors re-registering with the GMC; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 27 April 2020



We have made available a number of provisions to support the safe return of retired professionals both in paid and volunteering roles. The Coronavirus Act 2020 enables the registrar of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) to temporarily add any “fit and proper” professional to HCPC’s register for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency. This power applies to all of the professions regulated by HCPC, including arts therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists.As at 20 April, around 11,500 Allied Health Professionals, Healthcare Scientists and other professionals regulated by HCPC had contacted NHS England and NHS Improvement to express an interest in returning to practice with 2,327 deployed to trusts or the 111 service.In most cases, returning healthcare professionals will be covered by one of the two existing state indemnity schemes: the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts if they return to work in a National Health Service trust; and the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice if they are engaged by a general practitioner (GP) practice providing NHS GP services. In the rare instances where these or other indemnity arrangements do not apply, the Coronavirus Act provides additional powers to provide clinical negligence indemnity arising from NHS activities related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to re-introduce contact tracing for people who test positive for covid-19.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We are building a large-scale, integrated contact tracing and testing programme. This includes a new app for contact tracing, which will complement the existing Public Health England contact tracing service. If someone becomes unwell with symptoms of COVID-19, they will be able to securely tell the National Health Service via this app. The app will then send an alert – if appropriate – to other app users that the person has been in significant contact with over the past few days, even before they had symptoms, to provide advice.We are taking measures to test the quality of the app and working closely with some of the world’s leading tech firms and experts in digital ethics and clinical safety to get this right.We are actively considering what the best time would be to roll-out the app after testing is completed. We are aware that scaled-up contact tracing is likely to have greatest value when we have achieved reductions in the rate of transmission.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to publish a testing and tracing strategy.

Ms Nadine Dorries: On 4 April the Government published its Testing Strategy titled ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): scaling up testing programmes’, which is available online. This strategy will be used in collaboration with the Government’s plans for enhanced contact tracing to support the next phase of our COVID-19 response.

NHS: Conditions of Employment

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to introduce a death-in-service benefit for NHS workers.

Helen Whately: The NHS Pension Scheme provides death in service cover of two times annual pay to active members who are yet to retire to support a member’s partner and dependents should they die before claiming their benefits. Membership of the pension scheme is voluntary and is available to all staff in the National Health Service who are yet to retire. Around 90% of staff are active scheme members.Staff who have recently retired from the NHS Pension Scheme will have already received a tax-free lump sum and are therefore entitled to less generous death in service benefits should they re-join the scheme after retirement, but their family will receive additional death benefit if they die within five years of their retirement date as well as partner and dependent pensions.The Department is considering whether to offer further support for the families of all staff providing frontline NHS services, including those who are not in the NHS Pension Scheme.

Detention Centres

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many covid-19 tests have been conducted in immigration removal centres as of 21 April 2020; and what testing strategy is in place for those centres.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 27 April 2020



Information on the number of COVID-19 tests conducted in immigration removal centres is not held.

African Coalition for Epidemic Research, Response and Training: Overseas Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to the  Pan-African Network For Rapid Research, Response, Relief and Preparedness for Infectious Disease Epidemics (PANDORA-ID-NET) project.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 27 April 2020



The Pan-African Network for Rapid Research, Response, Relief and Preparedness for Infectious Disease Epidemics (PANDORA-ID-NET) has received United Kingdom Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding through the Department’s ODA-funded global health research portfolio.

Health Visitors: Coronavirus

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the (a) number of health visitors redeployed from their roles during the covid-19 outbreak, (b) proportion of qualified health visitors that have been redeployed in each area and (c) size of the caseloads held by health visitors following the redeployment of their colleagues.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 27 April 2020



The department does not hold the data requested.

Health Visitors: Coronavirus

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many local areas in England have less than 60 per cent of the pre-covid-19 number of health visitors available to work their normal roles.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 27 April 2020



The department does not hold the data requested.

Coronavirus: Computer Software

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a list of covid-19 symptom tracker online apps that have been approved by his Department; and what guidance his Department has published on downloading Government approved apps.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 29 April 2020



The National Health Service has an existing approach to assessing apps for their clinical efficacy, data security and cyber security using the Digital Assessment Questionnaire which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/services/nhs-apps-library/guidance-for-health-app-developers-commissioners-and-assessors/how-we-assess-health-apps-and-digital-tools#preview-the-questionsApps can also be assessed against the NHS Digital Health Technology Standard that was introduced in February 2020. This is available at the following link:https://www.nhsx.nhs.uk/media/documents/NHS_Digital_Health_Technology_Standard_draft.pdfTo date, three COVID-19 symptom tracker apps have been assessed using these approaches. More information is available about how we assess apps and other digital health technologies at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/blog/transformation-blog/2020/how-we-are-assessing-covid-19-appsNHSX, together with jHub, are working with the providers of third party COVID-19 symptom tracking apps and will publish details of those that meet our standards on the NHSX website in due course.

Ventilators: EU Action

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date did the UK Government sign the EU's ventilator procurement scheme known as the Joint Procurement Agreement.

Edward Argar: The United Kingdom has been a signatory to the European Union Joint Procurement Agreement since 2014 and is eligible to participate in EU joint procurements during the transition period under the terms of the Withdrawal Act. Owing to an initial communication problem, the UK did not receive an invitation in time to take part in the first four EU Joint Procurements in response to COVID-19, including the ventilators scheme. However, participating in those four initial joint procurement schemes would not have allowed us to do anything that we have not been able to do ourselves. We currently have over 10,800 mechanical ventilators available to National Health Service patients, with thousands more ventilators on order from manufacturers in the UK and abroad. The UK will participate in the EU Joint Procurement scheme on therapeutics that is soon to launch and will consider participating in other future schemes on the basis of public health requirements, including any on personal protective equipment.

Coronavirus: Pregnancy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the Prime Minister's statement of 16 March 2020 that pregnant women should avoid unnecessary social contact and the Government's policy not to compel employers to furlough pregnant employees; and what steps he is taking to protect the health of pregnant women during the covid-10 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 29 April 2020



COVID-19 is a new disease and we are continually reviewing the emerging scientific evidence.Due to a lack of evidence around how COVID-19 may affect pregnant women, we, as a precaution, encourage pregnant women to carefully follow social distancing advice and to have an individual discussion with their employers about their working arrangements.We have discussed, and will continue to discuss, the evidence around COVID-19 and pregnancy with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and other experts.We recognise that it is important for women to consider their own individual circumstances with their obstetrician or midwife and with their employer in terms of safely managing their pregnancy and work environment.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his Answer of 21 April 2020 to Question 34315, how many personnel in are involved in carrying out contact tracing to identify people who may be at risk of transmitting covid-19.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2020 to Question 34315, how many close contacts of people infected with covid-19 have been identified in England since 1 March 2020.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2020 to Question 34315, how many close contacts of people infected with covid-19 have been traced.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 29 April 2020



Public Health England (PHE) undertook contact tracing of all confirmed cases of COVID-19 during the contain phase of the response, until 12 March. Since then contact tracing activities have been undertaken when needed as part of outbreak investigations. Contact tracing is undertaken by staff in local health protection teams and the PHE Field Service as part of their day to day health protection work. It is not possible to provide a specific number of people involved at this stage. The number of people identified in England since 1 March 2020 having been in close contact with COVID-19 confirmed cases, and the number of people traced are not available in the format requested.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Coronavirus

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2020 to Question 35046 on Developing Countries: Coronavirus, when the impact assessment will be completed; and if she will publish the findings of that assessment.

James Duddridge: The nature of the Covid-19 pandemic means that a number of factors continue to interact in ways that are difficult to predict with certainty. These include the duration and severity of the pandemic, the intensity and efficacy of containment efforts, the extent of supply chain disruptions, commodity price levels and many other uncertainties. As a result, DFID will be continuously assessing the economic impacts on an ongoing basis, working with our partners to understand the real-time challenges facing workers and farmers and supporting the most vulnerable through our response.

Israel: Palestinians

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2020 to Question 34965 on Israel: Palestinians, which organisations (a) distributed funds and (b) have received UK funds from the People to People programme.

James Cleverly: Our three-year People to People programme aimed to bring together Israelis and Palestinians to cooperate on issues which can have a positive impact on both communities, helping to build understanding between people on both sides of the conflict in support of a peaceful, negotiated resolution.Our programme was implemented by Search for Common Ground, who delivered some activities directly and worked through partners in areas requiring specialist expertise. These partners were: the Jerusalem Intercultural Centre, the Musalaha network, and the Al-Quds Public Health School.

Developing Countries: Food Supply

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what additional support her Department is providing to countries in the Global South at risk of acute food insecurity as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

James Duddridge: The UK is repurposing programmes in agriculture, social protection and humanitarian assistance to tackle the factors driving COVID-19 induced food insecurity. We are a major funder of existing multilateral programmes in these areas, including the recent Food and Agriculture Organisation £7.5 million contribution to fight the locust plague in East Africa. We have committed £15 million to the World Food Programme’s recent urgent appeals. In all of these we continue to put the poorest and most marginalised at the heart of our programmes to address the underlying causes of chronic hunger.

Commonwealth Development Corporation: Investment

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Commonwealth Development Corporation is taking to adapt its global investments to respond to the health and economic effects of the covid-19 pandemic.

James Duddridge: CDC remains a long-term investor and is open for business. CDC and the Department for International Development are working together to deliver a targeted response that preserves, strengthens and helps rebuild economies across Africa and South Asia in response to the impact of COVID-19.Firstly, CDC is supporting its existing portfolio of companies. CDC is assessing where it can provide additional capital to help firms and their workers weather the crisis. CDC has also launched an Emergency Technical Assistance Facility and published advice on its website (https://www.cdcgroup.com/covid-19) on measures that companies should take to protect the health and safety of employees and customers and protect jobs.Secondly, CDC is focused on strengthening the response to the wider economic and health challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis. CDC is actively looking to make new investments that can provide more systemic liquidity to companies, especially Small Medium Enterprises, and at investments that can directly mitigate some of the adverse health impacts of COVID-19.Finally, CDC will be there to support countries rebuild and will continue to invest for long-term sustainable development in its geographies.

Africa: HIV Infection

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the use of expired anti-retroviral (ARV) HIV medication in (a) Zimbabwe and (b) other African countries; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that flows of in-date ARVs are maintained to tackle HIV during the covid-19 pandemic.

James Duddridge: DFID Zimbabwe does not bilaterally fund the procurement of ARVs in Zimbabwe. The Global Fund – to which the UK is the second largest donor – does however provide support for the procurement of ARVs in Zimbabwe. In June 2019, concerns were raised over the distribution of expired ARVs, procured through the Global Fund. At the time of procurement, the ARVs expiry date was approaching but ARVS were urgently needed as there was a risk of stocks in country. Assurances were provided by the Manufacturer and the Medical Council Association of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) that the medicines were safe and effective before they were distributed.DFID’s central teams work closely with the Global Fund to ensure they are actively monitoring supply chain issues at a global level and engage closely with partners. Global Fund Partners are supported in implementing good practices including safeguarding against purchase and use of expired drugs.The COVID-19 outbreak presents a risk to the ongoing supply and distribution of ARVs. The majority of ARV procurement and distribution in Zimbabwe is funded by PEPFAR and USAID have taken several steps to ensure that patients continue to receive their prescriptions such as providing monthly rather than weekly prescriptions, so patients do not have to visit clinics so frequently. The Global Fund is also flexing to cope with the crisis. It has created up to $1 billion of flexible funding opportunities for countries to re-programme existing grants and apply for additional funding, including in Zimbabwe. This will support countries with their direct COVID-19 response, address critical gaps in health systems, and to adapt their HIV, TB, and malaria programmes, including if needed to reinforce in-country ARV supply chain management.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the level of housebuilding in England (a) in 2020 and (b) from 2007 to 2010.

Christopher Pincher: House building statistics are not yet available for 2020. The time series covering the period up to the end of December 2019 is available on the Department's website https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/house-building-statistics .

Social Rented Housing

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the publication of the social housing White Paper.

Christopher Pincher: The Social Housing White Paper will set out further measures to empower tenants and support the continued supply of social homes. It will include measures to provide greater redress, better regulation and improve the quality of social housing. We are working to bring forward the White Paper in due course.

Private Rented Housing: Students

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with private university accommodation providers on waiving rental fees for students during the covid-19 outbreak.

Christopher Pincher: The Department is actively engaging with stakeholders across the student accommodation sector, including private student accommodation providers, to understand the challenges posed by the current crisis and to establish the most effective means of supporting the whole of the sector.During this period tenants, including student tenants, remain liable for rent. Some universities and private accommodation providers have chosen to release students from their contracts early and not charge rent for students returning home. The negotiation of rent waivers and early releases from contracts is a matter between the parties concerned. However, we expect universities to communicate clearly with residential students on rents for the summer term and administer accommodation provision in a fair manner.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Coronavirus

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Budget Statement of 11 March 2020, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of removing the universal credit minimum income floor for self-employed people that are not (a) self-isolating and (b) directly affected by covid-19 but see their income fall as a result of that pandemic.

Mims Davies: We are temporarily relaxing the Minimum Income Floor (MIF) for all self-employed UC claimants affected by the economic impact of COVID-19 from 6 April, for the duration of the outbreak. This means a drop in earnings due to sickness or self-isolation or as a result of the economic impact of the outbreak will be reflected in claimants’ awards.

Children: Maintenance

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made on the effect of changes to Child Maintenance Service payments on single mothers during the covid-19 outbreak.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 29 April 2020



The Government recognises that as with other households, the income of many separated parents is being impacted by the public health emergency and some receiving parents may receive less maintenance as a result of a paying parent’s drop in income. We are however clear that no parent should be using this time as an excuse not to pay what they owe. Those found to be abusing the system at this difficult time could find themselves subject to the full extent of our enforcement powers once the emergency passes. We have made a number changes to the welfare system to ensure people are receiving the support they need. These include increasing the standard rate of Universal Credit and working tax credit for this year by around £1000 per year. People who need money urgently continue to be able to access up to a month’s Universal Credit advance upfront by applying online. In addition, Statutory Sick Pay now applies from day one, rather than the fourth day of illness. We are increasing in the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest third of local rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets. Taken together, these measures represent an injection of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system and, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support introduced by an advanced economy in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Cabinet Office

Devolution: Coronavirus

John Lamont: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps they are taking to work with the devolved administrations to combat the covid-19 outbreak.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon Member to the statement given by my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 28 April 2020.

Telecommunications: EU Nationals

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many EU workers are employed in the telecommunications sector.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 110.81 KB)

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Leisure: Coronavirus

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of live events cancelled due to the covid-19 outbreak; and what estimate he has made of the economic cost of cancelling those events.

Caroline Dinenage: No such estimate has been made. However, we know that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to many of DCMS’ sectors including music and the wider live events sector. That is why the Government has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including: a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme; £330 billion worth of government backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses and a Self-Employed Income Support Scheme. We continue to work closely with our partners across music and the live events sector to understand the impact of Covid-19 on their activities and provide the necessary support.

Arts: Coronavirus

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many companies in the creative industries have claimed support through the (a) Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (b) Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (c) VAT payment deferral (e) PAYE self-assessment payment deferral and (f) Statutory Sick Pay rebate; the amounts supplied through each; and if he will publish this information on a regular basis.

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many workers in the creative industries are beneficiaries of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of organisations in the creative industries that are using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme top up their employees' salaries to 100 per cent.

Caroline Dinenage: Applications for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) opened on Monday 20th April. As of midnight on 23 April, HMRC had over half a million claims with a total value of around £4.5bn. CJRS, tax deferral of VAT payments due to coronavirus, deferral of Self-Assessment payments due to coronavirus and Statutory Sick Pay rebate are new schemes and HMRC are currently working through the analysis they will be able to provide based on the data available. HMRC will make the timescales for publication and the types of data available in due course. As of 22 April, over £2.8bn worth of loans have been issued under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme across all sectors, to over 16,600 businesses. At this time, the Government cannot provide a breakdown of funding by sector, as lenders have been given a temporary dispensation from uploading their data to the British Business Bank’s system in order to let lenders focus on issuing new loans. This is a pragmatic step that reflects the urgency of getting loans issued.

Gambling: Reviews

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the planned timescale is for the gambling review.

Nigel Huddleston: The government committed in its manifesto to review the Gambling Act 2005 to make sure it is fit for the digital age. This commitment remains a priority, but as with other areas of government business the impact of Covid-19 has placed unforeseen pressures on the Department. We are continuing to work closely with the Gambling Commission, including on ensuring that vulnerable people are protected in this time of potentially heightened risk. A timeline for the review will be announced in due course.